Wellness Aboard.

A superyacht may be a floating palace exuding beauty and luxury, but we all know that the real temple is our own body. Today wellness is more than a global trend, it is a movement and way of life, with people more aware than ever before of its importance. On superyachts, gone are the days when a healthy dining option and massage service were sufficient wellness offerings. Charter agents, superyacht managers and captains are required to provide a full suite of wellness facilities tailored to the individual needs of their guests.

Wellness today needs to be infused into the whole superyacht experience. The combination of advancements in technology, engineering and design twinned with more in-depth research into physical and mental health has provided us with valuable tools with which to create more holistic lifestyles on board.

Being able to infuse wellness into all aspects of the superyacht experience requires skills and expertise, and this is where Life Butler truly shines. Whether it’s small touches in individual areas, to a full sensory emotional and physical experience, our wellness experts have over 25 years in the industry and bring passion, knowledge and a stress-free experience.

In this series of articles we take a look at some of the top wellness trends and how they can be applied to superyachts.

The A to Zzzzz of Good Sleep

The fundamental importance of sleep to our wellbeing can never be underestimated. Sleep is vital to our mental and physical wellbeing. Studies have shown that it is during the hours when your body is fully relaxed and asleep that your brain can process and eliminate toxic proteins from its neurons. These toxic proteins build up during your waking hours and, left to build up through lack of sleep, can hinder brain function. The result is slowed cognition, alertness and ability to process information. It can impair creativity and is linked to higher levels of depression and anxiety.

The reasons for skipping sleep are many. Long work hours tumble into a need for ‘me time’, which results in later nights. Busy social schedules, young children or sleep disorders can affect how many hours of shut eye we get each night.

This video from Tech Insider is a good, short insight into sleep deprivation with Matthew Walker a professor of Neuroscience & Psychology from University of California, Berkley.

Superyachts provide the perfect opportunity to take time out from everyday life and work and get into a new and improved sleep pattern. Recharging energy levels, de-stressing, and connecting with family and friends add to those benefits. It is therefore crucial that guests have a serene and tailored environment in which to achieve this. At its most simple, good sleep can come from improved habits, such as steering clear of technology with blue light (such as smartphones and tablets), avoiding caffeine late at night, getting into a regular sleep pattern and not working late into the evening.

Yet how can superyachts make the sleep experience even better? The use of biological lighting can create the foundation for better sleep. For millions of years humans, like other creatures, lived their day by the sun rising and setting, with our active hours during the daylight. Imitating the course of the day through use of special LED lighting systems can stimulate the body’s responses and better prepare it for sleep.

Smart mattresses which analyse sleep patterns provide data to help get better sleep, while some can even monitor pressure points and adjust mattress firmness in response. Combine that with organic bed linens to help regulate body temperature and you get a night-changing formula.

In addition to physical wellness, Life Butler’s highly trained experts can offer advice on how to sleep better. Topics include keeping technology away from the bedroom, and offering guests alternative places and docking stations to keep their devices during the night, as well as when and what to eat to keep your body’s natural circadian rhythm. Incorporating meditation into a sleep routine can also create noticeable improvements. Yoga, massages, physical activity and yoga nidra sleep meditations release toxins, de-stress, stretch the body and prepare a person for a restful night of sleep.

Wellness within the hospitality industry is changing, and superyachts must be at the forefront of this movement. Wellness cannot be isolated to one location, or involve a series of token additions scattered throughout the guest areas. Beginning with sleep, arguably the most fundamental of wellness applications, it is clear that a systemised, 360 degree approach must be adopted to ensure guests leave refreshed, revitalized and renewed.